


What He Needs to Hear

by smapxorenji



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-09
Updated: 2016-03-30
Packaged: 2018-05-25 16:52:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6203284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smapxorenji/pseuds/smapxorenji
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He does not remember where he stays or what he does for a living. Whenever he tries to think hard, he feels as if his whole skull is going to crack.</p><p>He knows his own name though it is another guy with a nice smile who tells him about it three days ago in the hospital.</p><p>“You’re Matsumoto Jun."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was abandoned for years in my LJ but I have some kind of motivation now to continue writing. Minor corrections and adjustments were made while I read it again so it's a little different from what I posted previously in my LJ comm(if you have read it before).

“Sorry for asking but do I know you?” Jun raises an eyebrow as he climbs up the steps together with Aiba Masaki, the same guy who visited him three days ago.  
  
“Yes, but now you don’t.” Aiba replies he turns back and Jun sees the slight look of hurt in his eyes but it disappears in an instant and he smiles once more before they enter a flat together. “We live together actually!”  
  
“We?”  
  
“Roommates!” The older man replies as he takes off his green sneakers and walks in.  
  
Jun looks around the area and realizes that the color scheme is simple and to his liking. He enters the living room and sees a black sofa, a glass coffee table, a black tv console with a flat-screen television hung on the wall and two photo frames on top of the console.  
  
“You’re the one who decided on the furniture for the place.”  
  
Aiba says as he removes his jacket and takes a sit on the sofa. Jun nods as he takes up one frame from the console. He sees himself in the photo together with Aiba and three other guys whom he cannot recognize. He tries to recall the faces but his mind is still in a blank.  
  
As he raises a hand to massage his temples, he feels a hand on his shoulder and looks up.  
  
“It’s ok Matsujun. We’ll take one step at a time.”  
  
Jun feels a little light-hearted when he sees Aiba smile and decides to listen to him.  
  
“Do you call me Matsujun usually?” Jun questions as he places the frame back to its original position. Aiba smiles sheepishly and scratches his head.  
  
“Not all the time but Sho-chan does.”  
  
“Sho-chan?”  
  
“He’s the one with sloping shoulders in the photo. Sakurai Sho.” Aiba grins and Jun looks at the photo once more. “The guy with slightly blonde hair’s Ohno Satoshi while the one who is pinching leader’s cheek is Ninomiya Kazunari.”  
  
“Leader?” Jun asks and Aiba nods.  
  
“Yes, our leader.”  
  
“Are we in a gang or something?”  
  
Aiba chuckles softly and shakes his head. “Sort of but we’re legit so don’t worry. Do you want to meet them?”  
  
“I guess so. I’m supposed to know them right?” Jun says as he glances at the photo.  
  
“Yes! Ok I’ll make the necessary arrangements so you can take a rest in your room first!” Aiba smiles and stands up to retrieve his cell phone from his pocket while Jun starts walking to his room. Aiba steals a glance at Jun who is making his way to one of the doors and stops right outside his own room.  
  
“You remember your own room?”  
  
Jun’s hand remains at the doorknob as he turns to look at a surprised-looking Aiba.  
  
“I-I don’t know. I just walked to this door naturally.”  
  
“It’s your instinct Jun!” Aiba runs over and throws his hands around Jun who freezes for a split moment before Aiba breaks the hug and opens the door for him. “Ok now go in and take a rest! Call me if you need anything!”  
  
Jun manages a tiny smile and nods before he closes the door.  
  
Aiba’s smile disappears and he quietly releases the tears he has been holding back since the two of them returned home.  
_  
He doesn’t remember me._


	2. #01

“Matsujun’s still asleep? It’s already past noon.”  
  
Sho asks as he raises a hand to close his laptop.  
  
“He has been like this since we came home a few days ago.” Aiba replies as he lifts his legs off the ground and brings them closer to his chest. “He sleeps early and wakes up late.”  
  
“You haven’t been sleeping well though, Aiba-chan.” Nino comments without taking his eyes off his DS screen. Aiba lowers his head and places his chin on his kneecap.  
  
“I don’t dare to sleep.” He whispers like a small boy and heaves a sigh. “Whenever I close my eyes, the accident will somehow flash across my mind once again.”  
  
“Like you said, it was an accident.” Sho pats Aiba but the latter shakes his head in disagreement and covers his face with both hands.  
  
“Ah. The man’s awake.”  
  
Both Aiba and Sho look up to see a yawning Jun with his bed hair, standing right in front of them.  
  
“This guy never changes.” Sho smiles and waves a quick hello to Jun.  
  
“Sakurai-san and Ninomiya-san?”  
  
Nino pauses in his game and looks up. He sees Jun running a hand through his natural curls and taking a seat on the floor.  
  
“Drop me the formalities Jun. I’m not used to it.” Nino says curtly and keeps his DS away. Jun frowns slightly at Nino’s tone but nods in silence.  
  
“How have you been for the past few days?” Sho asks.  
  
“Mind’s still foggy but I guess sleeping more helps.”  
  
“Remember anything?”  
  
Jun shakes his head at Nino’s question and looks at Aiba who puts on a smile at once. He wonders how that smile of his could make him feel at ease all the time.  
  
Upon looking at the guys once more, he realizes that someone is not present.  
  
“Where’s Ohno-san?”  
  
“Satoshi-kun’s busy filming so he can’t come today.” Sho replies as he heads for the kitchen to get a drink.  
  
“So it’s real.”  
  
“What’s real?” Nino questions.  
  
“Us. Arashi.”  
  
“How did you know? I didn’t tell you anything about us in detail yet!” Aiba gasps in surprise and jumps up from his seat.  
  
“My room. I’ve been looking through the things on the shelves. Singles, albums, DVDs… There were a few drama scripts too.”  
  
“I thought you said you wanted to remove them for the time being before Jun-kun returns?” Nino turns to look at Aiba who points at Jun at once.  
  
“Well, he ordered me not to touch anything in his room when we moved in…”  
  
“He won’t remember you idiot.”  
  
“No harm letting him know. It’s a fact anyway.” Sho returns to the living room with a cup of tea on hand and takes his seat beside Jun. “So, what do you think about us now that you know that we’re in a group?”  
  
Jun pauses to think. “There’s a sense of familiarity but other than that…” He shrugs and looks at them apologetically.  
  
“That’s considered an improvement! Ne Nino-chan?”  
  
Nino smirks at Aiba’s comment while Sho nods in agreement and stands up.  
  
“Aiba-chan we have to go. Our magazine interview starts at 2pm.”  
  
“Oh ok! Matsujun I’ll be back by 7pm so we can have dinner together!” Aiba chirps happily as he makes a quick dash into his room to grab his sweater.  
  
“You forgot about me Aiba Masaki.” Nino snorts as he lies down on the sofa.  
  
“You can cook for us!”  
  
“No way Aiba.”  
  
Sho laughs as Aiba pouts and Nino makes a funny face at him.  
  
“We’ll catch up soon, Matsujun.”  
  
“Hmm, yeah.”  
  
Jun unfolds his arms and waves a quick goodbye to the two of them before the door closes. He then stands up and heads over to Nino’s side.  
  
“What?” Nino asks as Jun pushes his legs away and sits down beside him. As Nino sits back up reluctantly, he sees the seriousness in Jun’s eyes and heaves a sigh. Though this guy in front of him does not remember anything, he is still Matsumoto Jun and his expression tells it all.  
  
“Ok, before you ask me anything, you heard our conversation earlier before you came out. Am I right?”  
  
Jun nods and Nino knows what he is going to ask next.  
  
“And so you want me to tell you what happened.”  
  
“From the accident to what happened while I was still unconscious.”  
  
Nino averts his eyes away from Jun and ponders for a while before he places his DS on the table and faces the younger man once again.  
  
This is not going to be an easy afternoon for him after all.  
  
.  
  
When Aiba returns home after work, he sees Jun placing two plates of pasta on the dining table as he walks in.  
  
“You cooked! Where’s Nino”  
  
“His DS battery went flat and he left the cable at home.”  
  
“So he went back?” Aiba asks.  
  
Jun nods and passes the utensils to Aiba who smiles and tucks in at once.  
  
“Umai! It’s been a while since I last ate your pasta!”  
  
“There isn’t much food left in the fridge so I could only make a tomato-based one.” Jun says as he twirls his spaghetti with a fork and eats it.  
  
“It’s enough! I can eat this everyday!”  
  
An amused Jun watches as Aiba continues to eat. He then recalls what Nino had said to him earlier in the afternoon.  
  
  
_“We were actually doing a recording that only involves you, me and Aiba-chan. There’s this experiment that requires one to walk on a tightrope. Aiba was supposed to be the one to execute it.”_  
  
_“But I did it instead?”_  
  
_“Bingo.” Nino pauses as he heads for the kitchen to get a drink._  
  
_“Then shit happened and I fell.”_  
  
_“Yeah. The staff had actually prepared the mattresses and stuff but you landed in such a way that you couldn’t get total protection.” Nino sighs as he returns back with a glass of water on hand. “Everyone was in a frenzy especially Aiba. He kept calling you as you slowly drifted into unconsciousness.”_  
  
_“How long was I knocked out?”_  
  
_“Five days. He was with you till you woke up.”_  
  
_“Aiba-san?”_  
  
_Nino crosses his legs and gives a small nod._  
  
_“That idiot’s actually blaming himself over the freak accident and said that it wouldn’t have happened if they had gone with the original plan and let him do the experiment instead.”_  
  
_Jun remains silent as he takes the gamer’s words into mind._  
  
_“Jun-kun, you can take all the time you need to remember but, you have to eventually remember everything.”_  
  
_Nino grabs his DS from the table and switches it on._  
  
_“He’s just trying to be strong.”_  
  
  
“Jun?”  
  
Jun blinks and looks at a wide-eyed Aiba with a strand of spaghetti dangling down the corner of his mouth.  
  
“That’s disgusting. Finish up the food in your mouth before you talk.”  
  
“I thought you were feeling unwell…” Aiba mumbles as he sucks the strand of spaghetti in and continues to eat.  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
“Hmm?” The older man asks as he looks up once again.  
  
Jun smiles and shakes his head while a curious Aiba starts bugging him to repeat his words…


	3. #02

For the next one month, Jun spends his time watching their past concert DVDs, flipping through his old drama scripts and catching up with the other boys when they were free or had some time in-between work.   
  
Everyone tells him to take it easy with regards to his lost memories but recently, he starts to get annoyed whenever people tells him that. He knows that it will take time but sometimes he feels as if he is starting to be a burden to the group.   
  
He watches their variety shows every week and wonders how they were like in the past when it was the five of them hosting the shows instead of the current four. He tries to recall but nothing comes out all the time.  
  
He is getting frustrated.  
  
.  
  
“I’ll head to the studio straight after my radio recording ends tomorrow. Probably 3pm?”  
  
Aiba says wearily over the phone with Sho and shouts _tadaima_ as he enters the house. Before he could even remove his jacket, a loud shout came from Jun’s room and he ends the call hurriedly before he makes a quick dash to Jun's room.  
  
“Jun?”  
  
He calls out in uncertainty as he sees the younger man with his hands covering his face.  
  
“I’m fine.” Jun replies without looking at Aiba.  
  
“Are you sure? If you’re having a headache I ca-“  
  
“I SAID I’M FINE!”  
  
Aiba is startled and takes a few steps back at once. Before he closes the door, he gains courage to look at Jun once more and smiles even though he is not facing him.  
  
“I’ll be here if you need me…”  
  
Jun heaves a sigh when he hears the door close and throws himself onto his bed. His hand then reaches out for his cell phone and searches for a name before he hits the dial button.  
  
The voice on the other side of the line yawns as he picks up the phone.  
  
“I’m sorry Ohno-san. You were sleeping?”   
  
“You always call me when I’m about to sleep.”   
  
“I do?”   
  
Ohno chuckles and Jun could hear him rustling under the sheets.  
  
“I think I should jus-“  
  
“Jun,” Ohno cuts in and Jun holds his breath. “Are you ok?”  
  
“No.” The younger man exhales with a sigh. “I raised my voice earlier.”  
  
“At Aiba-chan?”  
  
Jun nods without saying anything and he hears Ohno sighing softly(and another yawn after that) on the phone.  
  
“It’s not the first time you’ve shouted at him.”  
  
“Am I like this all the time?”   
  
“Occasionally, and you’ll call me after that to repent.”  
  
“I guess I’m bad at anger management.”  
  
“Your seasoned fans know it too.” Ohno laughs and Jun clicks his tongue at once.   
  
“I hate myself right now.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“It has already been more than a month but I can’t remember anything.” Jun heaves a dramatic sigh and closes his eyes.  
  
Ohno pauses for a moment to think of what to say but eventually settles for this reply. “You’ll remember everything.”  
  
“What makes you think so?”  
  
“The fact that you’re Matsumoto Jun. We all believe in you, really.”  
  
There is something in Ohno’s voice that helps to settle the uneasy feeling he’s been having for the whole day and wonders if this is the reason why he tends to call him a lot of times(according to the man himself) for a chat.  
  
“How do you find Aiba-chan?” Ohno asks suddenly while he adds on yet another yawn and Jun is taken aback.  
  
“Why the sudden question?”  
  
“Just curious.”  
  
“Aiba.” Jun says as he walks towards his window and leans against the glass. “He’s like smiling all the time and never gets angry. I don’t know how he manages to do it but I most definitely can’t.”  
  
“This is why everyone loves him, including you Jun.”   
  
“Me?”  
  
No response from Ohno.   
  
Just as Jun was about to shout for Ohno, he swallows his words and laughs seconds later when he hears soft snoring coming from the other end of the line.  
  
 _Good night leader, and thank you for listening._  
  
.  
  
The next morning, Aiba gets a rather nice surprise to see Jun in the kitchen again(and with a black apron tied around his waist), setting the plates on the table. Upon sensing that someone else is around, Jun glances up through his black-rimmed specs and stares at Aiba for a good three seconds before he smiles.  
  
“Morning.”  
  
The rare smile from Jun brightens up the Aiba’s morning at once and returns the gesture with an even wider smile as he takes a seat opposite Jun.  
  
“Good morning Jun!”  
  
“You’re leaving at 10am right?” Jun asks as he pours a glass of orange juice for Aiba and a cup of coffee for himself.  
  
“Yeah. Manager-san will be coming to pick me up!”  
  
“I’ll be going too.”  
  
“Sure, WHAT?”   
  
Aiba gasps in surprise while Jun drinks his black coffee and flips the newspaper with his other free hand.   
  
“I was thinking that I might be able to remember a thing or two if I hang around at places where I usually work at.”  
  
“That can be arranged! I’ll text Sho-chan at once since he’s already at the studio.”Aiba dashes back to his room to grab his phone and Jun grins as the former sits back down and starts composing his message for Sho.  
  
“About yesterday,” Jun says suddenly as he places his cup back onto the saucer. “I’m sorry.”  
  
“No, it’s my fault for barging in without knocking first!”  
  
“Don’t argue. Now eat before the toast gets cold.” Jun motions for Aiba to start eating. “I’ll need to use your bathroom later.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“The heater in my bathroom’s spoilt.”  
  
“Oh.” Aiba says and feeds himself with a slice of marmalade toast. He then looks at Jun with a raised eyebrow and asks in a serious tone. “Did you do something to your heater?”   
  
“ _Aiba_.”

Jun growls and Aiba starts to giggle.


	4. #03

Everyone in the green room looks at Jun when he appears together with Aiba.  
  
“Matsujun, why are you here?” Sho asks as he stands up and places the newspaper back onto the rack.   
  
“Why can’t I be here?” Jun replies nonchalantly.  
  
“I bet he’s sick of staying at home.” Nino says without looking up from his DS screen and Jun sends a kick over to the gamer’s right leg at once.  
  
“He says he wants to join us for filming later.”  
  
Sho is surprised at Aiba’s words and turns to look at Jun who unfolds his arms and places his cell phone on the table. He then looks at Ohno who seems to be assuring him that Jun will be fine by giving a small nod. Sensing that Jun is serious about it, he heaves a sigh mentally and agrees.  
  
“You have to let us know if you’re not feeling good ok?”  
  
“Ooh, that’s Mother Sakurai talking again.”   
  
Nino snorts and Sho throws a cushion over at once. Aiba chuckles and joins in by throwing another cushion while Ohno yawns and does a lazy stretch.  
  
“Why am I in this group?” Jun folds his arms and sighs in despair.  
  
“You say that all the time Jun-kun. Just face it, you can’t live without us.”  
  
“Nino, your words are creeping me out.”  
  
Nino grins wryly and flings an arm around Jun’s shoulder. “Too sweet for you?”   
  
“NINO!”  
  
.  
  
When Jun appears in the studio together with the rest, the audience shrieks immediately and words of concern were heard.   
  
Jun clears his throat and turns to face the audience before he does a polite bow.  
  
“This is Matsumoto Jun. I’m sorry for making the fans worry about me all these while. I’m currently doing fine and I’m working hard to get my memories back and so, please look after me and the rest of Arashi.”  
  
The audience claps for him as he turns back and stands in line with the rest. Sho pats him on the shoulder while Aiba nudges him on the arm.  
  
“Welcome back.” Ohno whispers as the AD starts counting down to the start of filming.  
  
 _In 5 seconds! 4, 3, 2, 1…_  
  
Jun smiles and looks up to face the camera.  
  
.  
  
“Jun-kun is still a failure at curling.”   
  
Nino comments as he throws himself onto the sofa while Ohno takes a seat beside him.  
  
“Aiba slipped and fell again during curling too.” Sho laughs and Aiba pouts.  
  
“It _was_ slippery!”  
  
“Excuses.” Nino retorts as usual and an angry Aiba jumps onto the younger man’s back at once.   
  
As the two Sobu line friends continue bickering, Ohno notices that Jun is seated at a corner with his hand on his head. He frowns and grabs a bottle of water on the table before he calls Jun and throws it to him.  
  
“Are you alright?” Ohno asks and everyone pauses and looks at Jun who starts drinking from the bottle.  
  
“Just a headache. I’ll be fine.”  
  
Nino sits up and folds his arms. “You looked like you were in pain during our curling segment.”  
  
“I think I have some medicine!” Aiba makes a quick dash to get his bag that’s lying right beside Jun but the latter grabs his hand and shakes his head.  
  
“Aiba.”   
  
The older man looks at Jun worriedly and places a hand on his forehead. “You’re scaring me Jun.”   
  
“You fell off from a chair backwards due to the acrylic cracking and yet you continued laughing like an idiot on the floor.”  
  
Aiba tilts his head with a confused look while the rest tries to comprehend what Jun just said.  
  
“AH!” Nino exclaims loudly and points to Aiba at once. “During the himitsu recording! You were laughing badly as you leaned back against the acrylic chair and it gave way!”  
  
“Yes I remember that! That was so epic!” Sho starts laughing at once and Nino follows suit.  
  
“Jun, you remember.”   
  
The laughing duo pauses upon hearing Ohno’s words while Aiba starts processing what their leader just said. Jun scratches his head and shrugs as he places the pet bottle on the dressing table.  
  
“it’s about time you remembered something dude.” Nino comments as he tries to hide his grin but fails. “Though of all things you had to remember that first…”  
  
“Oh my goodness Matsujun you finally remembered something about me!”  
  
Aiba exclaims happily and wraps his hands around Jun at once.  
  
“Ok Aiba’s about to cry.”  
  
“AM NOT!” Aiba pouts and throws a stare at a laughing Sho while Ohno seems to be deep in thoughts.  
  
“What are you thinking about, leader?”  
  
Ohno blinks and looks at a curious-looking Jun.  
  
“Just wondering what made you remember things all of a sudden.”  
  
“I was thinking about that too Satoshi-kun.” Sho says as he touches his chin. “Just what exactly triggered Jun to remember…”  
  
“Can we talk about this during dinner? I’m famished and it’s already close to 9pm.”  
  
Nino whines as he starts pinching Ohno’s cheeks.  
  
“I’ve actually made a reservation at Ogura-san’s yakiniku shop earlier this morning.” Sho comments as he stands up and grabs his bag from the ground.  
  
“Oh yakiniku YAY!”  
  
“It’s only yakiniku Aiba-chan.”  
  
“It’s been a long time all of us last went to Ogura-san’s shop! Let’s go!” Aiba smiles and grabs Nino’s hand before he drags him out of the greenroom, leaving the oldest two together with Jun.   
  
“Don’t worry, you’re making progress.”  
  
“You can read my mind?” Jun raises an eyebrow at Sho’s words.  
  
“Your frown says it all. We have been together for more than ten years for your information.”  
  
Jun laughs. “That sounds wrong.”  
  
“Let’s go. I’m getting hungry.”  
  
Both of them turns to look at Ohno who looks as if he’s going to sleep any moment.  
  
“Don’t you dare sleep while standing leader!”   
  
Jun rolls his eyes and Sho bursts out into laughter as the three of them exited the greenroom together.


	5. #04

Aiba watches as Jun strikes a conversation with their Shiyagare director while waiting for the recording to start. He sighs as the younger man smiles and shakes his head while running a hand through his natural curls.

“That’s the fifth time you’ve sighed today.”

Aiba turns abruptly at Nino who was jamming his fingers on his DS.

“I did?”

“I’ve been sitting beside you for the past twenty minutes for your information.” He replies with his eyes still glued onto his DS screen. Aiba sighs again but he covers his mouth at once upon realizing that he has done it once again. Nino grins and pauses his game.

“He will remember eventually.”

“Jun-kun’s improving.” Ohno says thoughtfully as he yawns.

“But it has been three months…”

Nino rolls his eyes and nudges him on the arm. “Such things can’t be rushed you idiot. It might only make things worse for him.”

“Nino’s right.”

Aiba glances up to see Sho placing a hand on his shoulder before he takes a seat beside him.

“Jun’s working on it so give him more time, Aiba-chan.”

The younger man takes a deep breath and smiles finally before he grabs Nino’s DS away from him.

“You’re still playing Mario? Don’t you get sick of it?”

“HEY!”

Nino slaps Aiba on the arm and tries to get back his console while Sho shakes his head and laughs along with Ohno who has his arms folded.

Jun hears the commotion and turns to look.

An inexplicable but familiar feeling starts to well up in his chest when he sees Aiba laughing and it is not the first time he feels that.

He wonders just how much he has forgotten.

.

Jun raises an eyebrow when Aiba tells him to head home first after the recording.

“I need to make a quick errand first.” Aiba explains as he puts on his sweater.

“We can go together.”

“I’m going in the opposite direction.” The older man zips up his sweater hurriedly and grabs his bag from the sofa. “Yano-kun will be going with me!”

Jun glances at Yano who is already standing at the door, waiting for Aiba.

“Ok I’m going off! I’ll see you back home Matsujun!”

Jun nods as Aiba waves before leaving the greenroom.

“I’m going for a quick drink.” Sho says as he makes his way to the door. “Do you want to come along?”

The younger one then makes a mental check on his schedule for tomorrow.

“Sounds good.”

Sho grins as he holds the door for Jun. “I don’t even remember when was the last time the two of us headed out for a drink…”

“Let’s go then.”

.

A refreshed Jun steps out of the bathroom with the towel draping over his shoulder. He hums a tune by Yamashita Tatsuro as he sits down on the sofa and starts to dry his hair. As he does so he takes a look at the clock on the wall and realises that it is almost midnight.

“Where did he go?” Jun mumbles to himself as he reaches for the music player remote. Just as he is about to switch the player on, his cell phone starts vibrating on the coffee table and he answers without looking at the screen.

“Yes this is Matsumoto.”

“Matsumoto-kun?”

“Yano-kun?” Jun asks in surprise.

“Yes. Erm, I’m not sure how should I tell this to you…”

He hears Yano’s voice dropping to a whisper and senses something amiss. 

“Well, talk.”

Yano takes a deep breath before he continues. “I’m actually at the hospital now.”

“You’re feeling unwell?”

“No… It’s Aiba-kun actually.”

“What?” Jun sits up at once and throws his towel on the sofa.

“Earlier after the recording Aiba-kun was telling me that his chest hurts and so he wanted me to accompany him to the hospital.”

“So it wasn’t an errand.”

“I’m sorry Matsumoto-kun. He didn’t want to worry you and the rest.”

“How is he now?” Jun tries to keep his anxiousness at check as he stands up and makes a quick dash to his bedroom.

Yano pauses for a few moments. “He needs to be hospitalized for a week.”

_Shit._

All kinds of alarms start to set off in his head and he grabs his car keys on the table immediately.

“Text me the details. I’m coming over.”

.

Aiba shifts uncomfortably as he sees Yano making various phone calls out to the key people in the agency. He stares at his own cell phone and thinks of what to type in his message for the members.

“I’m going to be a burden to the group once more.” He whispers as he places a hand on his chest and looks out of the window.

“Don’t you dare think of that again...”

Both Yano and Aiba turn to see Jun folding his hands as he enters the room. Jun looks at Yano for a split second and the latter nods in understanding as he ends the phone call.

“Aiba-kun I’ll go to your place and grab some clothes and stuff for you.”

Yano grabs his bag and bows politely before he makes his exit, leaving Jun alone with Aiba.

“You,” Jun says finally as he takes a seat. “why didn’t you tell me back at the studio earlier?”

Aiba looks down, eyes refusing to meet Jun’s.

“A while after Yano-kun called to inform me about your hospitalization, I received a text message from my sister telling me about Daily Sports having an online article about it.”

The older man looks at Jun at once and sees the tinge of anger in his eyes.

“If Yano-kun had called me at a later time, I would have been angrier now.” Jun continues as he fixes his gaze at Aiba who is looking guiltier than ever. “How would you feel if you were to read the article first before receiving a phone call informing about the hospitalization? Strangers get to know about it before us? That’s ridiculous.”

“I’m sorry.” Aiba whispers finally as he bites his lip and grabs his blanket tightly. Jun softens upon seeing him tremble and heaves a sigh.

“How are you feeling? Is it as bad as the previous one?”

Aiba shakes his head and musters the courage to look at Jun straight into the eye.

“No operation is required this time. The doctor said I should be fine after a week’s worth of rest. The amount of medicine I have to take is scary though.”

Jun finally manages a small smile and nods.

He notices that Aiba is looking at him with a perplexed look and frowns.

“Is there something on my face?”

“You remember that I was hospitalized once years ago.”

Aiba leans forward and wraps his arms around Jun at once. Jun feels himself relaxing completely in Aiba’s embrace and finds this all too familiar. He raises his right hand slowly and pats Aiba on the back gently.

“I guess your words earlier triggered me to remember.”

Aiba sits back on the bed, looking confused.

“The part about you being a burden to the group. Déjà vu all over again.”

“Oh.” Aiba scratches his head sheepishly while giving a small pout.

“Don’t you ever say that again... I bet everyone’s going to be angry if I were to tell them about it.”

“No Matsujun you can’t tell them! Sho-chan will definitely flare up again and Nino will ignore me totally.”

Jun laughs at Aiba’s anxious look as he runs a hand through his natural curls.

“It’s getting very late, you had better rest.”

“I can’t sleep…”

“I know. You don’t even sleep well back at home.” Jun says as he pats the pillow once and motions for Aiba to lie down. “I’ll be here till you fall asleep.”

“Matsujun how did you kn-“

“You won’t want me to be late for work tomorrow.”

Aiba shakes his head furiously and pulls his blanket closer after lying down.

“Don’t worry about us. Just concentrate on getting well.”

The younger man nods.

“Good night Jun.”

Jun looks into Aiba’s watery eyes and feels his heart beating faster than usual.

He wonders why.

“Now sleep.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The tune Jun was humming in this chapter is Yamashita Tatsuro's "僕らの夏の夢" (Bokura no Natsu no Yume). I remember him saying on JS before that he likes this song after watching Summer Wars so, yeah. =)


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